YSR Congress party general secretary and parliamentary party leader V Vijay Sai Reddy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and higher authorities of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to appoint a non-Telugu officer as the joint director of CBI in Hyderabad.
Shah has referred the letter to Department of Personnel and Training for necessary action, as the home ministry is not competent to take the decisions on the postings of CBI officers.
Sai Reddy’s letter comes in the wake of the stubborn stand taken by the CBI officers in Hyderabad in dealing with the quid pro quo case involving YSRC president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
While opposing the exemption sought by Jagan for personal appearances in the court, the CBI authorities made very strong comments against him and also Sai Reddy.
Sai Reddy argued that the appointment of CBI joint director at Hyderabad had been made under political influence and with ulterior political motives.
He alleged that the Telugu officers of the CBI had been functioning under the influence of Telugu Desam Party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who had been using them to witch-hunt his political rivals.
He pointed out that former CBI joint director V V Lakshminaryana had close relationship with Chandrababu Naidu.
“Naidu used to pass instructions to Lakshminarayana through Andhra Jyothy managing director V Radhakrishna to create troubles for Jagan. Many times, the former CBI JD had spoken to Naidu on landline,” Sai Reddy alleged.
The YSRC MP further said Lakshminarayana had created troubles for Jagan as per the instructions of Chandrababu Naidu and in the past, there had been internal inquiry against Lakshminarayana for his misconduct and politicking.
“After his retirement, Lakshminarayana tried to contest the elections on TDP ticket, but later chose Jana Sena Party headed by Pawan Kalyan, who is a strategic partner of TDP,” he said.
He went on to allege that present CBI Joint Director in Hyderabad A Y V Krishna was also a Telugu with political connections and was under the influence of Lakshminarayana.
“Now, another officer H Venkatesh is trying to succeed Krishna as joint director. Though Venkatesh claims to be from Karnataka, his parents are from Andhra Pradesh and all his roots are in Andhra Pradesh. He, too, has financial dealings with Lakshminarayana, as both of them were colleagues in the past,” Sai Reddy said.
He further alleged that Chandrababu Naidu was trying to get his people posted in the CBI and through them, harass Jagan Mohan Reddy, apart from ensuring that they would not probe into his illegal dealings and corruption.
“So, the Centre should appoint a non-Telugu officer as CBI JD in Hyderabad, so that the massive corruption indulged in by Naidu during his regime could be unearthed,” he said.